Elvis Presley - ´Soundtrack´ Fun In Acapulco (1963) Lp

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Fun in Acapulco is the nineteenth album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records.
The last film Elvis made prior to the outbreak of Beatlemania, Fun in Acapulco is redolent of the silly, carefree days of the early '60s -- a time when rock & roll appeared to be in remission, partially because Presley devoted his time to cinematic froth like this. Conceptually, Fun in Acapulco, a kissing cousin to Blue Hawaii, is a lark set in a sunny, exotic location and has a soundtrack to match. Every song has a south of the border feel, either in its rhythms or mock Spanish, a tactic that makes sense in the confines of the film but can be deeply ridiculous on record, particularly on the cartoonish "Guadalajara," where mariachi and opera meet in garish fashion, "(There's) No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car," and "The Bullfighter Was a Lady," pieces of camp designed to be heard nowhere outside the confines of the film. Such frivolities seem even more absurd when contrasted with similarly spirited cuts that actually do work: the woozy title track, "Mexico," "Marguerita," and "Bossa Nova Baby," which in this context seems to rock pretty hard. Despite all this, the clear standout here is "Slowly But Surely," a bit of hip-swiveling seduction positively drenched in fuzz guitar, the first time such an effect was heard on a Presley record. Here, Elvis seems to tentatively engage with the swinging '60s that are just around the corner, while the rest of the record belongs to squaresville, an aesthetic that's alternatingly amiable and embarrassing.

The third of his tropical "travelogue films" for Paramount Pictures after Blue Hawaii and Girls! Girls! Girls! finds Elvis frolicing in Mexico. The standard stable of songwriters for Presley delivered songs to match, with titles like "Marguerita," "El Toro," "You Can't Say No In Acapulco," and "The Bullfighter Was A Lady." Included as well was the 1937 standard "Guadalajara" by Pepe Guízar. With the change from the normal routine, and with the addition of trumpet players Rudolph Loera and Anthony Terran, Presley engaged the material with greater enthusiasm than on recent soundtrack outings. Four of these songs would be included on the 1995 compilation Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II: the title track, "Mexico," "Marguerita," and the song released as the lead single, "Bossa Nova Baby".
"Bossa Nova Baby" arrived in stores one month prior to the soundtrack, coupled with the track "Witchcraft" by rhythm and blues songwriter and arranger Dave Bartholomew and a hit for The Spiders in 1956. The fact that the bossa nova craze of the 1960s was a Brazilian phenomenon rather than a Mexican one mattered little, as the single peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching as high as the 20th spot on the R&B singles chart.
Compensating for the short ten-track It Happened at the World's Fair album, Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, insisted on making Fun in Acapulco a good value. Two additional tracks, "Love Me Tonight" and "Slowly But Surely" were pulled from the aborted album sessions of May 1963, and added here to bring the running order up to thirteen tracks.

Side A
A1. Fun In Acapulco  (2:30)
A2. Vino, Dinero Y Amor  (1:54)
A3. Mexico  (1:59)
A4. El Toro  (2:41)
A5. Marguerita  (2:40)
A6. The Bullfighter Was A Lady  (2:02)
A7. (There’s) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports Car  (1:50)

Side B
B1. I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here  (2:51)
B2. Bossa Nova, Baby  (1:59)
B3. You Can’t Say No In Acapulco  (1:53)
B4. Guadalajara  (2:42)
B5. Love Me Tonight  (1:58)
B6. Slowly But Surely  (2:11)

 Personnel
Notes
Release: 1963
Genre: Rock & Roll
Format: LP
Label: RCA Victor Records
Catalog# PL-42357
Prijs: € 10,00

Vinyl: Goed
Hoes: Gebruikerssporen

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